austinl01

I bought a 5 gallon yellow banana (musella lasiocarpa) last year. I grew it in a large pot and last winter the leaves started to emerge smaller and smaller and the trunk finally swelled. I knew a flower was on the way! Well, here it is! After waiting so long for a flower, I hope to enjoy it 8 months--all the way into the fall. That's how long they are supposed to last anyway. Wow, this flower is worth the wait!

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

MediaHound

Those photos are so nice.
You should upload them to your gallery here so people can find them when searching the gallery for pictures of the Lasiocarpa banana.

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MediaHound

P.S. the WIKI page for the Musella lasiocarpa is here:
http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Musella_Lasiocarpa
You should add a tidbit of info there, it takes just a moment...
lmk if you have any troubles with it, the WIKI is new and we need as many people as possible to try it out and give feedback!

Thanks in advance!!

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Apologies in advance if I am slow to reply to your PM. I suggest posting in the forums for support if you need something urgent.

austinl01

Thanks, guys, for the kind words. I'll upload these pictures to the gallery and add some info. on Wiki. These are really neat bananas...more people should grow them!

I found a website if you are interested showing how the flowers develop and their life cycle. Pretty neat pictures there.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~drc/musella005.htm

Austin

__________________
Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

MediaHound

Austin,
I've never seen that site, it's a great collection of photos and really shows how wonderful this banana is.
I'm waiting for mine to bloom but I'm sure patience pays off and it'll be worth the wait.
Thanks for sharing the site and I see the changes to the wiki, too. Looking good!

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Apologies in advance if I am slow to reply to your PM. I suggest posting in the forums for support if you need something urgent.

bigdog

Looking good, Austin! I covered mine up for this latest cold snap, but I'm sure it took a small hit. If the bloom can survive the entire winter inside a bag-o-leaves, I imagine a few freezing Spring nights aren't going to kill it now!

austinl01

Frank, I covered my yellow banana with just a sheet the last two nights. It saw temperatures of 28°F and 30°F without foliage damage or any damage to its flower. As you say, it seems to be a very tough banana! I'd like to see it used much more in the landscape.

I will be updating this thread with new pictures each week as the flower progresses.

In addition, I have updated the Wiki page for musella lasiocarpa: http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Musella_Lasiocarpa

__________________
Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

the flying dutchman

Hi Austin, really great the info you added to the WIKI. I hope more members
will follow your example and then we can build-up a valuable database of bananas.

Thanks

Ron

Pithy_Cherub

That's stunning, Austin! I've seen them online, but your pics show more detail than I've seen before.

This one's going on my "I Want" list (think I need to get a few more jobs ... the list is getting weighty!).

austinl01

Here are some updated pictures of the musella flower. Enjoy!

__________________
Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches